Isle of Man Ronaldsway Meteorological Office Records: Monthly weather summaries

Scope and Content

Cards with handwritten monthly summaries of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland's weather between January 1917 and December 1962 produced by the Isle of Man Met Office to record weather in the area received from the UK Met Office.
Each card provides weather data regarding rain, temperature and sunshine across the country, including a map of the archipelago with illustrations of wind, pressure and depressions. It includes synoptic notes and climatological notes. The borders show coded cut in information with more details on the weather for the month they represent.

Administrative / Biographical History

The Isle of Man Meteorological Office (Ronaldsway Met Office) was opened by the UK Air Ministry as a method to support aviation, as part of a series of weather observation stations at Royal Air Force or Naval Stations throughout the United Kingdom.
The Isle of Man Met Office opened on 7th May 1946 in a barn southeast of Ronaldsway Airport. Some weeks later it was moved to the first floor of its control tower (which was demolished in 2012), starting its daily registers on the 24th July of the same year. In 2011 the office moved to Viscount House adjacent to the terminal building.
The weather readings were done manually, with an officer reading temperatures from the Stevenson screen on the airfield. These observations were completed at every hour of the day and night, 365 days a year and written observations were completed hourly until 1995, albeit with a gradual increase in technology as digital remote reading temperature sensors and laser cloud base recorders were introduced. Since 1995 the observations have still been completed, but are now printed via a computer rather than in ink on paper registers.
The Met Office, in administrative terms, moved from the Air Ministry to the Isle of Man Airports Board authority in 1965 and subsequently to the Isle of Man Department of Infrastructure, which allowed a closer relationship with the Island.
Today, the Island's Met Office has access to United Kingdom's Met Office computer weather models as well as information from other National Weather Services around the world, with forecasters at Ronaldsway interpreting the data to be used locally. These forecasts, observations and warnings are important for aviation, but also for the rest of the Island and users of its coastal waters. The forecasts are available via website, and by telephone with the information produced helping many people on a daily basis. Whether that is something simple like whether to wear a coat or hang the washing out today, the shipping companies to decide whether to sail or not, or for the emergency services and highways division to decide on response levels to a major flooding or storm event.

Arrangement

Records kept in their original index boxes.
Records are organised by month, extending from 1917 to 1962.
Months are organised in each box as following:

  • Box 1 (S87/01) - Dec 1917-1962, Jan 1917-1962, Feb 1917-1962, Mar 1917-1962;
  • Box 2 (S87/02) - Apr 1917-1962, May 1917-1962, Jun 1917-1962, Jul 1917-1962;
  • Box 3 (S87/03) - Aug 1917-1962, Sep 1917-1962, Oct 1917-1962, Nov 1917-1962.

Access Information

For information on visiting the Isle of Man Public Record Office please see our website: www.gov.im/pro .

Other Finding Aids

Please see our website for catalogues: www.gov.im/pro .

Archivist's Note

Catalogued by Liliana Silva, Records and Archive Officer, Isle of Man Public Record Office, May 2018.

Conditions Governing Use

Crown copyright will exist in documents created by the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man Governments (duration - 125 years from the end of the calendar year of production).

Custodial History

These records were stored at Ronaldsway Airport by the Isle of Man Met Office until they were transferred to the IOMPRO under section 3(8) of the Public Records Act, 1999 in October 2004. In May 2017 they were fully transferred to the IOMPRO under section 3(4) of the same Act.

Related Material

  • S81 - Isle of Man Ronaldsway Meteorological Office Records: Daily weather and observations registers
  • S83 - Isle of Man Ronaldsway Meteorological Office Records: Barograph charts
  • S84 - Isle of Man Ronaldsway Meteorological Office Records: Thermo-hygrograph charts
  • S85 - Isle of Man Ronaldsway Meteorological Office Records: Rainfall charts
  • S86 - Isle of Man Ronaldsway Meteorological Office Records: Anemograph charts